Christmas lunch in the kitchen...

So "yesterday" was Thanksgiving and this week it will be Christmas.... goodness... it's a blur!

Time flies when you're having fun, though.

Every December I try to get my neighbors over for a little Christmas lunch.



I was running so late with the cleaning, cooking and of course the most important part, the decorating and tweaking that takes me hours on end, that I only got a few shots of the table before they got here...

I used one of my favorite Christmas dishes, the cardinals on a wreath of holly on top of a gold charger.

This was the first time that I bought some "crackers" and was anxious to see if they were all they are "cracked up to be"...

Well, I can tell you that they were a hit! Especially after a few cosmopolitans.... we had fun wearing the silly paper crowns, told our cheesy little jokes and played with the guessing games. So...not only do they fancy up the table, they are good for some chuckles too!




This is a little Williamsburg pineapple centerpiece that I "whipped up" in a matter of minutes. The form which you can't see is originally designed to be a floral vase (where I put the pineapple) and where I placed the apples, votive candles usually are used. I just cut some magnolia leaves and evergreen branches and threw in a couple of clusters of nandina berries for good measure.



I wish that I had taken pictures of the food ! Oh well............





I'd like to take you on a little tour of my kitchen all "dressed up" for Christmas....
































































I lucked upon a set of beautifully hand painted plates a few years ago which depict fantasy Father Christmases that melted my heart... (no name on the back, it only states not to use for food consumption)






A little closer shot...I think this one is one of my favorites of the four.








Uh... no, maybe This is my favorite one.....




See.........a little closer look and you can understand why I love them so much...





This one is cute too... look how loaded down he is with all those great toys and gifts...







I think he looks a little overwhelmed...like most of us at this time...








Okay, I was lying! THIS is my FAVORITE....




Look at that beautiful coat and details on his face........... Yup, love 'em all !!!




It has been only in the last few years that I've decorated my kitchen. I've decided since this is the room I spend the most time in, I would enjoy some of my favorite things in here. Don't tell anyone, but I kidnapped the doggies from the dining room as well as the topiaries from the living room to dress up my sink area.





I think he looks very happy in the kitchen, don't you?



Okay, back to some more of my favorite Christmas plates...

My mother-in-law gave me these next two very special three dimensional plates a couple of years ago.


Is he cute, or what?!



Here's the other one..........


Lovin' his little bird friends.
Each year I look forward to seeing these special plates from a very special and beautiful lady.



Did you think that I had forgotten about flower arranging?
Nope.. here's one I made for my counter.........





I also made two of these candle arrangements..............





















That's it folks... thanks for coming over to my kitchen today. Happy Holidays and do something that makes you smile today!





You'll see many more great tablescapes at Susan's blog: Between Naps on the Porch

I've been tootin' my own "horn- a -plenty" !

You'll have to forgive me for "tootin' my own horn.... I was so pleasantly surprised at how well my first "horn of plenty" or cornucopia arrangement turned out !

I can't say enough nice things about my teacher, floral designer, Josh Borden of Borden Design Group here in Atlanta. www.bdgblooms.com/


He is so talented and made our class so much fun and interesting to attend. He is responsible for my newest addiction... floral arranging and all of the pretty little containers and gizmos that go along with it!

All of the flowers, berries and greenery I used were real.... except the little squash and pumpkins.

It has been a week since I made this, so I'll have to make a new one for my table at Thanksgiving.

Not sure how it'll turn out since I won't be working under Josh's supervision !

I set the table around it just in case it doesn't turn out as pretty as this one, so I'll have proof of my "artwork"!

Thanks for indulging me and enjoy the rest of the photos...............

"Mama.........you're crazy!"

To see the fresh floral grapevine wreath that I made in my floral design class, keep scrolling down to the next post.






Please join all the others at Between Naps on the Porch for more Tablescape Thursday participants!

I'm not going to "fake it" anymore!

Yup........I said it.......I'm not going to "fake it'"anymore, people!

Here is one of my pretty autumn wreaths that I've been using on my front door for the last several years. I made it with silk flowers and have been very pleased with it............ until...



my Floral Design teacher opened my eyes.... I made this beautiful fall wreath using REAL flowers last week. Who knew you could do this? I was stunned at the ease and beauty of using the real stuff!



Here is the trick.
Run to your nearest floral supply store and pick up this handy dandy little gizmo, I think it might be called an oasis cage...I'll have to check with my teacher. Its the oasis foam that you soak in water on the inside and the little cage keeps it nice and tight.
You then take a floral chenille stem (otherwise known as pipecleaner) and wire it onto the bottom of the wreath. Grab your flowers , grasses and leaves and you're on the way!







Ofcourse, you'll have to keep it watered and will have to replace some flowers every now and again...






I'm not going to throw away my "fake" wreath.... but as a special treat or for a special occasion, I will most definitely enjoy creating a fresh flower wreath for my door!




















So I brought the fake wreath inside while I was taking the above pictures and just haphazardly placed it on the end of the staircase.... Do you see anything unusual about it? ( I didn't at first.)






I about jumped out of my skin, when I grabbed it to put it away when this scary "dinosaur"appeared before me!



Uggggggghhhhhhhhhh........ I had to act fast, as I nudged him to hop on and threw the wreath out the front door.




Here's a quick transformation..... A halloween arrangement I made for my class....




I turned the pumpkin around and.... TA DA... now it's ready for Thanksgiving!




Another small arrangement.....












Susan is hosting a metamorphosis party at her place, so why not go check it out?

The Perfect Holiday Gift

Hi friends!

I'd like to introduce to you a very talented artist that I "met" in BlogLand !

You'll be amazed and impressed by the beautiful "Metamorphosis" she is able to perform

using her paintbrush and her God given talents.

Her name is Lara Harris. She is an artist from Northville, Michigan. She has been an artist all her life. She has taken a few art classes over the years, but she is primarily a self-taught artist. Her work is currently in private collections throughout the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK. Although she has had no formal training in art, she believes much of her ability has been a true gift from God. While blog hopping one day in the summer, I came across her blog and was so impressed with her ability to transform a photograph of a dog, to a work of art! I have always wanted to have my little Duchess honored in such a way and the fact that my birthday was coming up and Hubby was begging me for clues as to what I would want, I had the perfect answer to his question. I emailed Lara my request along with two photos of Duchess and commisioned an 8x10 painting, blending some features of each . Here is a close up of her little face......

and here is one that I loved and initially wanted this chair to be in the portrait. Lara, had pointed out that she would do that, but thought that the chair pattern would overpower my little "furbaby" and since I wanted her to be focus, we found an antique victorian chair that we substituted and highlighted the royal dog that she is!




Here is how Lara's "magic" starts:
.....the initial rough sketch







She is so detail oriented and meticulous... She sent me pictures of the process asking me if I had any questions or suggestions.






Here is the third photo she sent and she really had so much detail, I thought it was finished!





But no.... THIS is the finished product! Amazing!




Duchess looked so real, I wanted to reach out and pet her!





The minute I received it, I rushed to find the frame I had picked out for her portrait and popped it in!


Now, that's a great transformation! I love it and know that it will always be a treasured family heirloom. Thanks, Lara............one of the best gifts I ever got and she donated 10% to the United Yorkie Rescue. Truly a Win-Win !




If you are looking for a perfect gift for your family or friends that have a "furbaby" or has lost one, I guarantee that there is no better gift to them than a portrait, honoring such a special member of the family. You won't be disappointed, I promise................. AND tell her that "Santa" sent you!!!

Contact Lara Harris by email :

Loveall4him@aol.com

or/and visit her websites:

currently available on etsy at:
http://www.studiolara316.etsy.com/

Studio Lara

Painting a Pup a Day

Vintage Dog Designs

Check out some of her beautiful work:












Now, please check out more wonderful posts at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch !